Packages Sent to National Guard Prove Harmless

Suspicious packages sent to National Guard and Reserve sites in 36 states turned out to be harmless expressions of First Amendment rights, federal officials say. Though initial reports suggested they contained white power, anti-war CDs were the featured delivery, the AP reports. The FBI says the packages—some postmarked from Tennessee and Oklahoma—are unrelated to letters recently sent to US embassies and governors’ offices.

“It doesn’t appear that we have a problem,” a National Guard spokesman says. Among the 15 letters that reached US embassies in Europe last week, 14 contained white substances that tested harmless. Results for the last letter are pending. Governors’ offices have also received 40 Texas-postmarked letters containing an unspecified note, but no dangerous toxins. (More threats stories.)